Tag Archives: Marchesa

Red Carpet Review: Top Looks from the 2011 Cannes Film Festival!

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Get ready, get set, Go! There must a race of style at this year’s Cannes Film Festival because there’s an abundance of ravishing beauties hitting the red carpet in names like Calvin Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo, Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa, just to name a few.  Today we’re celebrating the many, many highs on the red carpet, at the movie premieres, & for photo calls.  Check out In Style’s Photo Gallery for a more detailed look at all the stars attending this ultra glamorous event. Let’s take a look at first & foremost, the scene-stealers, the true best of the best.  These are the looks that celebs wear for which red carpets are made!

Diane Kruger is my current favorite Style Darling!  The model-turned-actress is experimental when it comes to fashion.  Not to mention that she is effortlessly chic, especially in this gorgeous Calvin Klein shimmering gown that looks like flowing liquid medal against her enviable shape.  Rachel McAdams really surprised me with this intricately detailed in a red lace Marchesa number & Veronica Lake hair.  I just can’t get over how it makes her look like such a movie star. Salma Hayek Pinault can’t go wrong in a silver Gucci Premiere strapless gown.  It hugs her curves in all the right ways & she looks like a princess! Uma Thurman is a tower of pure elegance in a white feathered Versace sweetheart gown.  In no way does she wear it like a bride, but as an accomplished & stylish movie star. I’m not usually a fan of Tilda Swinton, but I do respect her passion for fashion.  This navy satin Haider Ackerman gown is so regal, very feminine, & timeless!

Additionally, there was quite an impressive slew of international beauties, including Mexican beauty Salma Hayek Pinault in a leather Gucci dress with a hand-painted flower shrug (kind of recalled Jennifer Lopez at the Met Costume Gala),  Indian actress Aishwarya Rai in navy & white silk strapless bustier Giorgio Armani Prive, & British import Cheryl Cole (who was recently named the latest judge on Simon Cowell’s The X-Factor) wearing a plunging Stephane Rolland gown with gold accents on the belt.

Australian star of Sucker Punch Emily Browning (who appears twice more in this blog) wears a sweet deep-v embroidered Valentino creation in nude, & fellow Aussie Alice in Wonderland star Mia Wasikowska in a Roland Mouret column gown & drop earrings!

Last, but not least, Canadian sweetheart Rachel McAdams switched it up in a Monique Lhuillier embellished bustier top & matching wide leg pants.  The Salvatore Ferregamo clutch & stacked bangles make this a chic & modern way to show up at a formal event.  There aren’t many women who can pull off a pants look on such a prestigious red carpet, but Rachel hits a homerun!

Some of the photo calls during the day called for the stars to face the press in very chic & elegant day looks.  These include Cannes stunner Tilda Swinton in a two-piece look that virtually everyone can wear.  A loose-fitting blouse tucked into a pencil skirt with flower-accent Roger Vivier heels. Rachel McAdams was front & center in an uber-feminine bright white flower Maxime Simeons dress with peep toe pumps by Salvatore Ferragamo.  Mia Wasikowska brought some sweetness in a lace Valentino pleated dress with beige strappy sandals.

Uma Thurman stayed with white once again in a slimming Dolce & Gabbana dress with silver Jimmy Choo sandals.  Emily Browning brough some color to the mix in a jungle print Louis Vuitton tube dress & nude peep toe platforms.  Angelina Jolie celebrated Kung Fu Panda 2 in a beige chiffon wrap dress with a leather belt & round toe pumps, a throwback to vintage Hollywood, but still very modern & minimalist.

At night some of the stars hit yet another red carpet wearing some of the best of the best designers.  Sarah Jessica Parker showed up to support a Weinstein Company press event in a belted Dolce & Gabbana with an embellished belt & layers of pearls (very Carrie Bradshaw)!  Somewhere at the celebrity-riddled circuit was a Calvin Klein sponsored bash which featured Uma Thurman in black, Vanessa Hudgens in yellow lace, & former Gossip Girl co-star Clemence Poesy in a color block shift dress, all designed by the label.

Check back with my Red Carpet Review for more upcoming events, as well as series of blogs for the Costume Gala!  Happy Styling!

Red Carpet Review: 2011 SAG Awards (PART TWO)!

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Let’s continue our fun & fashionable talk about this Sunday’s 17th Annual SAG awards.  Our two final categories are the darker looks & the risk-takers.  There’s so much to talk about & even after seeing E!’s Fashion Police last night, I can’t get Joan Rivers’ voice out of my head!

The red carpet beauties embraced black & dark colors in classic silhouettes like one-shoulder, a pencil LBD, sweetheart neckline, & even the daring Julie Bowen shows off an awards show-worthy pantsuit by Catherine Maladrino!  She’s an innovative & underestimated fashionista- Sofia Vergara better watch out!

I just can’t explain how much I truly loved Dianna Agron‘s gorgeous navy Chanel tea-length dress.  She’s the one to watch, of all the Gleek red carpet darlings. 

Kim Kardashian killed in a plum Marchesa, although I’m still scratching my head as to why she was in attendance, having no credible acting talent.  Don’t get me wrong, the girl has style, but for these occasions, I like to see the front-runners of the industry showing off their glamorous side. 

Perhaps of the classic all-black looks, Amber Riley gets the A+ for going all out glam in a figure-flattering ruched mermaid gown by Anne Barge, originally designed as a bridal gown, but turned into raven for the actress.  Her sleek chunky bangs & super straight hair reminded me of Jennifer Hudson‘s early red carpet days. 

 

 

 

Parks & Recreation‘s Amy Poehler & The Closer‘s Kyra Sedgwick never looked more elegant than these age-appropriate black dresses!  I did consider featuring Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks in the risk-taker section, but I actually love her smoldering vintage look with a smoky eye.  She usually embraces something sweet or bold, exuding flirty sex appeal, but here we see a more dramatic side to her belted L’Wren Scott sparkler. 

 

 

 

   

 

The risk takers of the night were all about color, pattern, volume, & secrets.  Claire Danes utilizes patterns in a floral, January Jones takes on printed lace (her first time wearing Carolina Herrera!), Hailee Steinfeld is youthful in stripes (she even wore a hot pink lips ring!), & Mila Kunis wears a watercolor pattern. Although Claire was the only winner of the group, she was on-trend with a long belt for her sweeping dress. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

By color, I’m talking Sofia Vergara giving new meaning to “baby blues!”  Watch out Jennifer Lopez, there’s a new Latina on the red carpet & she’s not going out without a bang!  Volume exists in Jenna Ushkowitz‘s creamy ruffled dress (perhaps one size too small?) & her Glee co-star Jane Lynch shows her purple side in a less than flattering wrap gown, but still gives a good effort!  I say secrets because of Nicole Kidman‘s Nina Ricci lacey dress with a very sexy & effortless lace back. 

February 27th is the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, so mark your calendars & break out your spanx!  My bet is on Natalie Portman to simply steal the show, like winner Sandra Bullock did the year before.  Nominees include Nicole Kidman, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, & Hailee Steinfeld, so we’ll have to see how those stylish ladies continue their fabulous streak of red carpet excellence!  In days to come, I’ll be on the lookout for SAG knockoffs, perhaps at EDressMe?  Happy Styling!

1/30/11 Darling of the Day: Ali Larter at 2007 Emmy’s in Reem Acra!

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At the 2007 Emmy Awards, Heroes star Ali Larter wore a shining crimson gown by Reem Acra.  She was a favorite among critics for her effortless style & glamorous delivery of chic minimalism, while still channeling something Grecian too!  Red is sometimes hard to pull off on the red carpet, you wouldn’t want to blend in, but with the right accessories, this scarlet sweetheart satin gown is a stunning creation & perfect for her slim frame.  The simplicity of the dress screams for accessories & nothing will pop against this quite like diamonds or platinum, but if you’re a Style Darling on a budget, the perhaps sticking to chandelier earrings & a bauble of a cocktail ring will do the trick! 

 

                     

If you love red, then you have to see these dresses by worn on the red carpet like Anne Hathaway in Marchesa, Christina Hendricks in Romona Keveza, & Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga.  Happy Styling!

Red Carpet Review: 2010 Emmy Awards, Featuring Claire Danes, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, & More!

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It was obvious that the small screen stars were bringing the larger than life glamour to the red carpet for Sunday’s 62nd Emmy Awards.  All the leading ladies of television were following the trends of black, white, navy, & one-shoulders.  Let’s just start with my absolute favorite of the night. Instantly, I knew that this would be a crowd-pleaser, guaranteed to be published in fashion magazines across the world. Claire Danes, pictured below, in a shimmering Giorgio Armani Prive strapless mermaid dress.  Already it is listed on InStyle‘s Look of the Day.

Surely, Monday night’s presentation of E!‘s Fashion Police will agree with me.  Regretfully, I didn’t get a chance to see the beautiful & talented Claire in the HBO movie Temple Grandin, for which she was nominated, but as soon as I saw this dress, I knew she was going to win for Best Lead Actress in a TV Movie.  Just like when Charlize Theron wore her gold body-hugging Gucci gown to the 2004 Oscars, winning for her role in Monster, & Sandra Bullock wore her gold / silver Marchesa dress to this year’s Oscars, winning for her role in The Blind Side.  A gold dress is a winner’s dress! As for the black trend, I was surprised b/c not many stars take the tricky color under consideration.  Of course, black done the right way is slimming, but for such an elegant affair, to risk losing some of its detail & beauty in photographs is where black goes wrong sometimes.  Anyway, take a look here at Julianna Margulies in L’Wren Scott, Heidi Klum in Marchesa, Eva Longoria-Parker in Robert Rodriguez, Julia Louis Dreyfus in Narciso Rodriguez, & Kelly Osbourne in Tony Ward Couture:

I guess you can’t have black dresses without the white ones & there was no shortage of that at the Emmy’s also.  White was a favorite among celebrities with figure flattering designs, metallic embellishments, & gorgeous hair. Here we have the white selection with Rose Byrne in Gucci, Kim Kardashian in Marchesa, Julie Benz in Pamella Roland Resort 2010, Brooke Burke, & Amber Riley:

An equally regal & stunning choice was navy on the red carpet.  Lea Michele told Ryan Seacrest that she hadn’t worn blue lately & it reminded her of the summer midnight sky.  The romantically decadent color was found in all shapes with dramatic ruffles, ruching, & Grecian draping.  My favorite picks for navy are Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta, Jayma Mays in Burberry Prorsum, Julie Bowen in J. Mendel, Padma Lakshmi in Marchesa, Edie Falco, & Connie Britton:

Lastly, a trend that’s been all over the runways & red carpets for a few years now that’s always a flattering choice is the one-shoulder look.  The celebrities who embraced this were Emily Blunt in Christian Dior, Jane Lynch in Ali Rahimi, Emily Deschanel in Max Azria Atelier, Nina Dobrev in Zuhair Murad, Elisabeth Moss in Donna Karan, & Cheryl Hines in Zac Posen:

Although I didn’t mention this in my intro, I’d like to point out the risk-takers, in my opinion, who both rocked their looks & maybe didn’t succeed as they’d hoped, but still, they deserve some praise.  I’m not saying that I don’t like these looks, but for me, they qualify as risk-takers.  Whether they were experimenting with lace, beads, prints, shape, or hemline, they stole the attention on the red carpet for just a little bit longer than the rest. Check out Diana Agron in Carolina Herrera, Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta, Jane Krakowski in Escada, January Jones in Atelier Versace, Rutina Wesley, Sofia Vergara in Carolina Herrera, Jewel in Zuhair Murad, Kristen Wiig, & Maria Menounos in Ralph & Russo:

My predictions on the gowns that will be most knocked off are: Claire Danes’ Armani Prive, January Jones’ Atelier Versace, Kim Kardashian’s Marchesa, Emily Deschanel’s Max Azria Atelier, Heidi Klum’s Marchesa, & Eva Longoria’s Robert Rodriguez.  Also, my only gripe with the whole evening was the absence of past favorites like the cast of Grey’s Anatomy & Desperate Housewives.  Stars like Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl (well, not anymore), & Ellen Pompeo, as well as Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, & Teri Hatcher were always interesting to watch on the red carpet, but alas, a new generation of Gleeks, reality show stars, & vampires have invaded the scene.  Happy Styling!